Appam/Vellayappam

Well, appam can be done using various methods. This is an easy recipe for making soft appam. All those who are trying for first time can follow this recipe. This is not exact Kerala's appam recipe. In Kerala people used to add toddy(kallu) for fermentation. I replaced it with baking soda. Adding urad dal is also not Kerala's style. .
Updated: I don't have the habit of taking step by step pictures during initial days of my blog and so couldn't update all pictures here. I will upload when i follow this recipe next time.Appam-Traditional style is another version which i added recently that follows KAPPIKACHAL method.

Ingredients:

Raw rice/Pachari(i used ponni rice)	2 cup
Urad dal	1 fist full
Cooked rice	1 cup
Grated coconut	1 cup
Coconut water	as needed to grind
Baking soda	1 pinch
Salt	to taste
Sugar	2 tspoon

Preparation of appam batter:

1. Soak raw ponni rice and urad dal separately in water for about 1 hour.
2. Once they are done grind urad dal in a mixer and make a fine paste.To this add grated coconut.  Again grind it and make a smooth paste. Use coconut water for grinding.
3. Drain the soaked water in rice. Add ground paste and cooked rice to raw rice. Mix well.
4. Grind the mixed raw rice, coconut and cooked rice together in a mixer/grinder and make a fine batter. Use coconut water for grinding. Add little by little. The batter should be in  running consistency form.
5. Take the batter in a vessel/container. Add 1/2 pinch of  baking soda, sugar and salt.
6. Close the vessel with a lid. Leave it for fermentation which requires 8hrs(best is overnight).
7. On next day add 1/2 pinch of baking soda to the batter and mix well. It may become thick. Now add coconut milk/coconut water, mix well and make the batter loose. It should be more loose than dosa batter. Make a salt test. Your appam batter is now ready.

Preparation of appam:

1. Heat an appam making kadai that is with a bottomed base.
2. Pour 2 laddle of appam batter in it and  rotate the kadai in clockwise direction so that the batter ll spread like dosa leaving some thick batter in the centre. So the centre ll be thick and edges ll be thin.
3. Close the kadai with a lid for 1 to 2 minute.
4. Oncc appam is cooked replace it to a plate. Don't flip it.

Have it hot with your channa masala/egg roast/chicken or mutton curry…

Tips:

• If u find the batter thick on the next morning after fermentation add coconut water/coconut milk to make it watery.
• Be careful in adding baking soda, too much of soda ll make the appam to be sticked on tawa.
• If you using iron appam kadai grease it with oil.
• You can also use dosa tawa instead of appam kadai. Spread like dosa and close appam with a lid to cook. Except the thick centre and thin edges, you will get tasty appam.